Show Reviews

Set I:
A lower - pitched version of the Birds opened, which sounded badass. Then, after KDF and 555, was the 3000th solid as shit Type 1 version of Roggae, with some fantastic playing from everyone, from Trey and Page's interplay to Mike's brilliant work on the higher frets and Fish's fills. Then, a Gumbo bustout! (+10 pts. for me in the Fall Tour Challenge...) Gumbo actually had a nice jam in it, at first very funky, then getting hard rock and loud as shit.

Then, the Chairman of the Boards; the Sex Machine himself, came out and sang Lawn Boy, with the customary Gordon bass solo, which made five women in the audience pregnant. Wilson, Maze and Wingsuit were next. My favorite song from Big Boat, More, was, as always, just goddamn fantastic in every way imaginable; arguably the 10/22 shredfest, bringing an end to arguably the best First set of the year. As one shouted in the audience shouted, ''YEAH BOYS! YEAH BOYS! YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!''

Set II:
Mercury opened the second set, and after a bit of aimless wandering, Page happened upon a nice chord progression, which Trey hopped onto and started doing some fantastic soloing over with Mike melodically backing him up. Then, Trey moved up the fretboard and his solo got louder and more delay-laden, weaving a beautiful layer of sound. Page and Mike backed him up perfectly while he patiently killed it. Trey got quieter and the jam became quieter, before Trey ->'d into Piper. Some might say it was a ripcord, but I think the jam (albeit barely) was about to run it's course. Right out of the composed section of Piper, Trey got to soloing, before Fish sped things up. The jam then turned Maze-like as Page moved to the organ and then to the Rhodes, whereupon Fish slowed things down to a funky tempo. After a few minutes of noodling, Trey regained some focus and started soloing, eventually peaking shit out of it, before bringing it back down to Earth.

Scents and Subtle Sounds was next; a ridiculously underrated song. Right out of the gates, they got to jamming. Trey's started shredding, laden with effects, while Page backed him up on the grand, eventually peaking beautifully before fading into oblivion before BOOM: TWEEZER. Of course, the crowd absolutely erupted. The jam initially rode a nice funk groove spearheaded by Mike using the Bass Synth pedal. Trey eventually took hold; soloing very nicely, with Page emerging on the grand to back him up. Trey then began going for the peak before... fading into ambient, effect-laden oblivion all of a sudden before... I Always Wanted it this Way!

After the composed section, Trey hopped onto the Marimba Lumina, which for once actually felt suitable, though also a good way to drive a focused set off the rails. However, Trey, using the weird synth-like function on the Lumina, brought things in a trance-like direction. After a few minutes of some nice rhythmic jamming, Trey and Page synced up; both of them running awesome synth lines, with the latter also moving onto the organ, Mike droppin' bombs, all before bringing it back to the composed section and ending it and going into the Horse and Silent in the Morning. And talk about synchronicity; the first shades of blue were coming over the sky outside.

Golgi Apparatus closed out the second set, while Shine a Light and Tweeprise closed out this masterpiece of a show.

OVERALL:
10/29/16 is an utter triumph, and probably the show of the year. Listen to it, or you're family will disown you.

RATING: 5/5

HIGHLIGHTS:
Roggae, More, Mercury, Piper, Scents and Subtle Sounds, I Always Wanted it This Way

Another solid vegas show in the books. Strong versions of Roggae and Gumbo anchored the first set. Mercury had the best jam the song has seen so far despite some minor kinks in the composed section. Phish has really been killing Piper lately and that trend doesn't stop here. Scents and Subtle Sounds is always a treat and Tweezer kicks down the door and brings the funk to the party. I Always Wanted it This Way is a crazy song. I don't know how to describe it and I'm still not sure if I'm a fan of it so I'll just leave it at that. The rest of the show is run of the mill. Overall I give it a 4/5.
Highlights:
Roggae, Gumbo, Mercury>Piper, Tweezer

Definitely a solid show! The boys are really connecting and the set lists are interesting and more creative to say the least. From the couch, they are having a blast in Vegas and loving the amped crowd! It's a beautiful thing to see, even if only from my TV screen. 4/5 for me. One of the top contenders for the year so far, but my vote still goes to Dicks 3 so far . . . Can't wait to see what tonight and of course, Halloween holds for all. Stay safe in Vegas pham! Much love to all of you and the Vermonsters!

The Birds continues the 10/31/14-songs openers. Gumbo gets extended a bit, which is a nice surprise. I'm glad to hear More. Trey did a really good job in his playing in Maze. The second set has multiple highlights, namely, Mercury (not sure what they were going for in Piper but they were gonna go for it, for sure), an alternately funky and ambient Tweezer, and I Always Wanted It This Way, which sees Page doing what I've wanted him to do ever since he got the Nord Lead: use it as more than a sampler. I'm glad the new songs are being integrated comfortably and having such honorable showings.

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